Chapter 60: Radiant Beauty, Unparalleled Grace!

Swish!

At the soldier’s cry, thousands of agents instantly set aside their instruments and armed themselves with an array of weapons—daggers, machetes, curved swords, sabers, katanas, compound bows, spears, AK-47s, Desert Scorpions, and every imaginable hot and cold weapon. The air was suddenly thick with a murderous tension so overwhelming that even the sea breeze dared not stir.

At that moment, Le Xiaotian’s gaze sharpened. Zhang Hao—at last, they faced each other!

At the top of the grand steps of the Northern Eighty-Eight Pearl String, Zhang Hao led the way, followed by a dense mass of notorious criminals and enforcers. He stood about two meters tall, his muscles taut and powerful, his frame imposing, his eyes fierce and venomous, brimming with spirit and strength. As he walked, he resembled a moving iron tower, radiating an intimidating force and a pressure that was impossible to ignore.

As he descended the steps, he laughed. “Why is everyone so tense?”

Despite his words, the moment their forces clashed, the glances exchanged between both sides, the direct confrontation of their auras, sent the atmosphere skyrocketing to an explosive, perilous pitch. Some agents even broke out in cold sweat, their hands trembling uncontrollably.

Tens of thousands stood off against each other, swords drawn and arrows notched! The battle was on a knife’s edge, ready to erupt at any instant.

Step by step, Zhang Hao approached. When he stood before Le Xiaotian, he smiled. “At last, we meet, hmm?”

Leaping from the hood of a car and taking two steps forward, Le Xiaotian faced him squarely. “You think you can buy a song from me for a mere hundred thousand Wu Yuan? You even want to purchase the full rights to all my music? I used to think you were bold—now I see you truly are. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you right here and now?”

Zhang Hao laughed, arrogance flickering in his eyes, almost to the point of insolence. “Without guts, I wouldn’t be where I am today. But you’re bold, too. Until now, no one has ever refused my hundred thousand and lived—you won’t be an exception. If you want to try to kill me, go ahead.”

Le Xiaotian replied calmly, “Is that so? I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Your Zhang Hao and your hundred thousand will soon be no more.”

Their eyes locked, the silent clash of their auras intensifying the tension around them. It felt like a bow drawn to its limit, the string ready to snap.

Clap, clap, clap!

Just as many on both sides struggled to withstand the oppressive tension, Zhang Hao broke the silence with a slow applause. “Bring her over.”

Two enforcers led a young woman forward.

“Let me go! What are you doing?” The woman, about twenty-five or six, struggled, but it was no use.

Le Xiaotian’s brow furrowed as he looked at her. Though her face was a little haggard, her beauty and extraordinary temperament shone through. Judging from her appearance and spirit, she was clearly a woman of privilege and refinement.

Having reached his conclusion, Le Xiaotian barked, “Zhang Hao, what are you doing? Are you scared?”

Ignoring him, Zhang Hao smiled at the woman. “Look closely. The man before you is the famous Le Xiaotian everyone’s talking about.”

The woman turned, momentarily startled, then her face lit with joy. It was just like the photos online—this was Teacher Xiaotian! Once certain, she called out with excitement and hope, “Teacher Xiaotian, save me!”

Zhang Hao restrained her, preventing her from running forward, then turned to Le Xiaotian. “Do you remember killing Big Elephant three days ago?”

He had intended to stockpile strength for the All-Star Extreme Challenge next year but had ended up fighting for the first platform on the grand steps. Realizing he was outmatched, Le Xiaotian had slit the man’s wrist with a fingertip and finished him with an elbow strike—a lethal blow.

With this in mind, Le Xiaotian’s eyes grew razor-sharp. “What, your men can’t win, so your pride is wounded?”

With a derisive chuckle, Zhang Hao kicked the woman behind her knees, forcing her to kneel. He grinned. “Today I’m just here to remind you not to break the rules of the game. She is the price of your arrogance.”

In a flash, Le Xiaotian’s right hand snapped backward, seizing a long spear from an agent behind him. With a thrust, the sharp tip pressed against Zhang Hao’s brow, piercing the skin and drawing a thin crimson line of blood.

“Let her go. We’ll settle this one-on-one. Otherwise, I’ll kill you right now.”

“What are you doing!”

At the roar from one of Zhang Hao’s men, thousands of criminals and enforcers gripped their weapons, ready to kill at a moment’s notice. Le Xiaotian’s agents responded in kind, and the scene teetered on the brink of chaos.

Tension crackled in the air.

Yet Zhang Hao pressed his right hand down, signaling his men to hold.

He met Le Xiaotian’s gaze, his voice laced with chilling madness. “Heh, do you dare? If I die, the twenty thousand hostages in Zhenxing Tower die with me. Even among the forty million citizens of Beihai, few will survive. So, will you save one life—or hundreds of thousands, even millions?”

Le Xiaotian’s left hand clenched in secret, nails digging into his palm so hard that blood welled up and dripped silently to the ground. Controlling his breath, he replied with icy calm, “I promise you’ll die first.”

Zhang Hao threw his head back and laughed. “We’ve crossed swords for some time now. Do you really think I, Zhang Hao, am afraid of death?”

One of his men, emboldened, sneered, “Our Brother Hao—”

Before he could finish, Le Xiaotian drove his spear through the man’s throat, dropping him lifeless to the ground.

Once again, chaos threatened to erupt.

Yet the bloodbath did not begin.

By now, the kneeling woman—clever as she was—had understood everything. Sorrow welled up in her eyes, impossible to hide. Yet she spoke with resolve. “Teacher Xiaotian, will you promise me one thing?”

Helpless, trembling all over, Le Xiaotian knelt before her as if a blade were lodged in his throat. “Tell me.”

Her tone was calm. “I’m grateful I could hear your music before I go, especially ‘Peerless Grace.’ I’m glad my heart, so corroded by reality, could find release—I have no regrets in dying. But I have a younger sister, Su Qian, just sixteen. She still has a bright future ahead. Will you promise to save her?”

Though she was strong, tears streamed down her face.

Le Xiaotian drew a dagger from his boot, gripped the blade with his left hand, and yanked upward with his right. Blood trickled from his clenched fist, staining the white sand red.

Choking back sobs, he said, “I promise.”

With her last worry laid to rest, the woman strove to remain strong even as she wept. “Teacher Xiaotian, am I…am I beautiful?”

His fists clenched, mouth opening and closing, teeth grinding as if to crush the world. Le Xiaotian dared not meet her eyes.

But then he stepped forward and kissed her lips.

When they parted, his voice was low and hoarse, almost a growl, almost a roar. “Unrivaled beauty, peerless grace!”

Her tears burst forth like a broken dam, her smile blossoming like a red lotus in full bloom—magnificent, radiant.

Snap!

In the next instant, Le Xiaotian’s world froze, his gaze fixed on her tear-streaked, radiant face—so beautiful, so full of sorrow and reluctant farewell. Her eyes closed, still gleaming with longing and unspoken grief, and she slowly collapsed to the ground.

Le Xiaotian’s hands hung in the air, his mouth burning as if seared by hot coals—no sound came, no sound at all.

“Le Xiaotian, if you want to kill me, then come to Zhenxing Tower. I’ll be waiting.”